Gluten Free & God Seeking: July 2019

Monday, July 29, 2019

Insights From Jeremiah - Taking a Closer Look At the Two Covenants In Jeremiah 31:31-34

At the time of Israel's darkest hour, God told Jeremiah He's going to make a new covenant with the house of Israel. That obviously makes the law that God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai the old covenant. When I read the Life-Study of Exodus, I learned that God intended that the law would preserve fallen man, but more importantly it would cause him to see that he COULDN'T keep the law!!

Camping with family at Deception Pass Park

It touches me that even though Israel was stiff necked and idolatrous, God didn't give up on them. Over and over God's people failed to keep the commandments given to them on Mt. Sinai. God knew there was no way they could obey the law, but I learned from my reading that they needed to know that.

God's people then didn't have the New Testament so they didn't realize that the reason they couldn't keep the law was because Satan as sin dwells in man's flesh. Paul clearly saw this when he was writing the letter to the church in Rome.

. In Romans 7 Paul writes about how the commandment of God is holy, but he sees that there's sin in his body that frustrates him from keeping the law of God. God knew in eternity that His enemy would contaminate created man with his evil life. And throughout the Old Testament you can see throughout the history of God's people the battle between God and Satan.

           So way back in the book of Jeremiah and In the midst of utter degradation, God proclaimed to this prophet that one day He would make a new covenant with His people:

    Indeed, days are coming, declares Jehovah, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
    Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by their hand to bring them out from the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was their Husband, declares Jehovah.
    But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares Jehovah: I will put My law within them and write it upon their hearts, and I will be their God, and they will be My people,
    And they will no longer teach, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah, for all of them will know Me, from the little one among them even to the great one among them, declares Jehovah, for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more. Jeremiah 31:31-34

    The phrase "I will put My law within them" stands out to me, because as Witness Lee says this points to God's incarnation in the New Testament with the purpose of bringing us salvation. Did you notice how many times God says "I will" in this section in Jeremiah 31? This reminds me again that God has full trust in His divine life that's within each of us not in our self. Here are some excerpts from chapter 25 and on pages 178-182 that helped me to understand God's intention in making this new covenant:

"What kind of law can be put into people and written upon their hearts? ....In the new covenant God will put Himself into His chosen people as their life, and this life is a law....and through our regeneration this life is now within us to function as a law to us....Because the eternal life within us is a law, it controls, governs, regulates, and restricts us in everything" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Jeremiah. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1992, Print).

Other posts on the Major Prophets

Life-Study of Isaiah:

You can listen to excerpts of Witness Lee's speaking the Life-Study of Isaiah on Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. You can also read the online Life-Studies of Isaiah and check out other resources available to enhance your study of the Bible on Living Stream Ministry's website.

How Can the Son in Isaiah 7:14 & 9:6 Be the Mighty God?
Seeing Christ as the Great Light in Isaiah 9:2
Why is Christ Called the Cornerstone in Isaiah 28:26?
Taking a Closer Look at Isaiah 53 - Christ's Crucifixion Foretold - Part 1

Taking a Closer Look at Isaiah 53 - Christ's Resurrection &Ascension Foretold - Part 2 of 2

Life-Study of Jeremiah & Lamentations:

Monday, July 15, 2019

Make Your Own Home Made Remedies - What Can You Do With the Feverfew in Your Garden?

For 12 years I lived next to a horticulturist who owned a flower shop in downtown Seattle. Whenever we were both in the yard, she would notice things in my flower beds and give me advice like putting soapy water in a spray bottle would kill all aphids on my lupines without having to use a pesticide. I've used that one over and over on all kinds of plants.She also told me that if I would prune my roses, they would keep blooming. I've done that with my floribundas and sometimes I'll get three blooms!

Over time she transformed both her front and backyards into two different kinds of gardens--all I remember is that one of them was an English garden, ahhh it was so beautiful! This dear neighbor died from cancer, but before her death she asked me to take whatever plants I wanted in memory of her. I chose many and feverfew was one of them.

I found out years later that this beautiful herb which looks much like a dwarf daisy is full of medicinal properties. So like I did with the peppermint and lemon balm that I had also dug up from her garden that day, I researched it.

Here's what I found out:

1. It's an energizing herb and helps our body deal with inflammation.

2. For the respiratory system - It helps with fever hence the name! I also helps treat asthma, wheezing coughs, and sinusitis.

3. For the stomach - It aids in digestion and alleviates stomach aches.

4. For the circulatory system - It reduces blood pressure.

5. For muscles & joints - It helps with muscle spasms, neuralgia, rheumatism, arthritis, and sciatica. I found out that it contains allicin what aspirin is made of so it's great for all kinds of aches and pains.

6. Headaches - Feverfew is commonly used for headaches and migraines. It can also be used to treat vertigo.

How to Dry Feverfew:

(1) You can simply cut the feverfew and put it in a vase without water and let it dry naturally. It's good to let it sit out for about 2 weeks to ensure that there's no moisture left in the herb.

(2) Then just use your fingers to remove both the flowers and the leaves into a large bowl.

(3) Put in a glass jar and label.

Brewing Up a Cup of Medicinal Tea: Put 1-2 teaspoons of your dried tea into a metal tea holder or use a French press and place it into the hot water. Put a plate over the top to keep the essential oils from evaporating, and let it steep for about 10 minutes.

Other Blogs on Making Herbal or Flower Teas:
How to Dry Herbs to Make Your Own Herbal Teas
How to Brew a Cup of Medicinal Herb Tea
How to Make Your Own Lavender Oil & Tea
How To Dry Roses & Make Your Own Rose Tea, Rose Oil & Rose Water
How to Make Calendula Tea, Calendula Oil & Salve
More on How to Make Your Own Herbal Teas & Peppermint Oil
How To Make Your Own Strawberry Leaf Tea
Did You Know That Salad Burnet Can be Made into Tea?

About Making Your Own Spices:
How to Dry Herbs to Spice Up Your Cooking

Other Things You Can Do with Herbs:
How To Dry Roses & Make Your Own Rose Tea, Rose Oil & Rose Water
How to Make Calendula Tea, Calendula Oil & Salve
More on How to Make Your Own Herbal Teas & Peppermint Oil
Grandma's Recipe for Dandelion Honey

Note: I grow and dry herbs as a gardening project. Be sure to check with a medical professional if you are pregnant, on medication or have any questions or concerns.

Thursday, July 11, 2019

Insights From Jeremiah - What Does God Consider Evil in Jeremiah 2:13?

By the time Jeremiah came along the Israelites had fallen so far into idolatry that God gave up on them. Eventually He sent the nations (Jer. 32:28-36) to punish them. Because of Israel's unfaithfulness, Jeremiah is often called the weeping prophet.

In the opening chapter of the Life-Study of Jeremiah Witness Lee says that Jeremiah's tears show God's compassion towards His people. He brings out in Jeremiah 2:2 that God viewed His people as His bride, and that their idolatry was spiritual adultery. And in Jeremiah 2:13 God tells them that their forsaking Him for idols was evil:

Jeremiah 2:13 My people have committed two evils. They have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters to hew out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that held no water.

I found it remarkable that in this verse God likens Himself to a fountain of living WATER. It might seem a bit unusual, but this verse shows us that God likens Himself to a source of satisfaction. And we know that people can't live very long without water. I enjoyed Witness Lee's comments on this verse on pages 18-19 of chapter 3 of the Life-Study of Jeremiah:

"In Jeremiah 2:13 we see not only something positive--the fountain of living waters--but also something negative--the children of Israel's forsaking this fountain to hew out for themselves broken cisterns, which hold no water. This negative thing indicates that Israel, like Adam in Genesis 3, had become fallen. Adam fell by forsaking the tree of life and turning to another tree--the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Israel fell by forsaking God as the fountain of living waters and turning to a source other than God. This source is signified by cisterns, which Israel labored to hew out for themselves....This indicates that apart from God as the fountain of living waters, nothing can quench our thirst, nothing can satisfy us" Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Jeremiah. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1992, Print).

Reading this reminded me of the Lord's talk with the Samaritan woman in John 4. He asked this immoral woman for a drink of water. In that particular Life-Study he shares that the Lord was a thirsty Savior seeking this thirsty sinner. And he showed her that He was the living water that would satisfy her longing soul. Don't think this doesn't relate to you--I've learned that no matter how long I've been a believer, I have to keep drinking from this fountain!

Other posts on the Major Prophets

Life-Study of Isaiah:

Taking a Closer Look at Isaiah 53 - Christ's Resurrection &Ascension Foretold - Part 2 of 2

Life-Study of Jeremiah & Lamentations:

Monday, July 1, 2019

Luscious GF Raspberry Bars

For me summer means berry picking. In my garden I have a small strawberry patch. My daughter has more raspberry bushes than I do, and she had a bumper crop last year. Along with all the blackberries that line most of our trails and blueberry fields out in the county, we can make all kinds of delicious desserts that showcase our Northwest berries.

I saw this recipe for raspberry bars in my Syre School Cookbook and thought I'd see if I could use some real berries instead of the jam it called for. I didn't use as much sugar as the jam probably had, but these were so full of flavor! If you want to make it from scratch like I did, just let it cool down a bit and check it's consistency and level of sweetness. I didn't have to add any more sugar than I listed here.

1. Make crust - In a medium-sized mixing bowl put:
(1) 2 1/4 cups of gluten free flours - I used 1 1/2 cups of white rice flour, 1/2 cup of tapioca flour, 1/2 cup of fava and garbanzo flour.
(2) Stir in 1/2 cup of sugar (recipe called for 1 cup, but I always cut it down) and 1 cup of oatmeal.
(3) Cut in 1/2 cup of butter (recipe calls for 1 cup, but like the sugar I usually cut that down, too)
(4) Stir in 1 egg.
(5) Put 1 1 /2 cups of the flour mixture in a small bowl for the topping.

2. Prepare filling: The recipe calls for 10 oz. of raspberry preserves, but because I had some raspberries in the freezer, I thought I'd try to use them for the bars. If you want to use frozen raspberries here's how I did it:
(1) Put 2 1/2 cups of frozen raspberries with their juice into a saucepan.
(2) Stir in 2 packs of unflavored gelatin and 1/4 cup of sugar.

(3) If the mixture doesn't thicken up which mine didn't, add 2 tsp. of tapioca starch mixed with a tablespoon of water. I let this sit for a few hours and when I spread it, it had the consistency of jam!

3. Do the bars:
(1) Press the rest of the flour mixture into the bottom of a greased 8 x 8 pan.
(2) Spread the raspberry filling or 10 oz. of raspberry preserves evenly over the top of the crust. (I wonder since I had about 2 cups of raspberry filling if 10 oz. of jam will be enough.)
(3) Crumble the reserved 1 1/2 cups of the flour mixture over the top of the raspberry filling.

4. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Cool and cut. It says it makes 2 dozen.

Desserts with Fruit:
Sensational Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake (From the back of Costco's organic sugar)

Terrific Gluten Free Strawberry & Peach Trifle (Modified from an Internet search)
My Favorite Gluten Free Strawberry Cheesecake (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Just Like Grandma's (But Only Gluten Free) Berry Cobbler (My husband's grandma's recipe)
Gluten Free Lemony Rhubarb Bars (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Old Fashioned Strawberry Buckle (Made Gluten Free) (A recipe I picked up from a berry farm)
From New Zealand - Triple Berry Pavlova (A friend's recipe - Heritage School Cookbook)
A Northeast Classic - Blueberry Grunt (From a student)

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